PE group forms $300M blank-check company in Boulder for future go-public transaction

BOULDER — The Gores Group, a private-equity firm with an office in Boulder, debuted a new special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, and raised $300 million in the process.

The company, Gores Holdings VI Inc. (Nasdaq: GHVIU), launched on the markets on Friday and is trading 50 to 60 cents above its initial public offering price of $10 per share. The company has not had any material discussions with an acquirer looking to go public, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

SPACs are shell companies that are listed on public exchanges and are later acquired by companies looking to go public outside of the normal procedures of an initial public offering. They do not require the private company to release an S-1 filing to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with financial data.

These investment vehicles have been particularly popular in 2020, as low interest rates targeted by the Federal Reserve and broader stock market volatility have led some investors to move away from bonds and equities in search of alternative investments. SPACs have raised more than $70 billion so far this year, according to Bloomberg data.

Loveland’s Lightning eMotors announced last week that it would combine with a SPAC in the first half of 2021 in order to debut as a public company on the New York Stock Exchange. The move values the company at $823 million and would add $270 million on the company’s books upon the deal closing.

The Gores Group, headed by billionaire investor Alec Gores, are using a SPAC to bring Michigan-based originator United Wholesale Mortgage Inc. to the public markets in a deal valuing the company at $16.1 billion.

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